Bar U Ranch, Historic ranch and park in Foothills County, Canada.

Bar U Ranch is a historic property spanning approximately 148 hectares with original buildings from the cattle ranching era of the late 1800s. The grounds sit against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and preserve the working infrastructure of that period.

The ranch was founded in 1881 by Fred Stimson, whose North West Cattle Company ran cattle on 147,000 acres of open range and used the Bar U brand. George Lane and partners operated it from 1902 to 1925, and Lane bought out his partners in 1908, renaming it the Bar U Ranch. From 1927 to 1950 it belonged to Patrick Burns's group of ranches, totalling 700,000 acres.

The site demonstrates traditional ranching practices through rope handling demonstrations and horse-drawn wagon rides that let visitors experience cowboy skills firsthand. These activities reflect the working methods that shaped life here over many generations.

The site is reached by car from Longview, Alberta, with parking on site. Parks Canada opens it daily only from mid-May to the end of September, so visits outside that window are not possible. Allow time to walk between the buildings and the surrounding grounds.

Harry Longabaugh, later known as the Sundance Kid, worked as a horse breaker at the Bar U in 1891, before his outlaw years. Edward, Prince of Wales, visited in 1919 and bought a neighbouring ranch he called the E.P. Ranch. Painter Charles M. Russell produced a series of paintings on site, and cowboy Everett Johnson was reportedly the model for the lead character of the novel The Virginian.